IE44740B1 - Improvements in or relating to antenna arrangements - Google Patents

Abstract

1530551 Aerials SIEMENS AG 10 Jan 1977 [26 April 1976] 00752/77 Heading H4A A radio relay aerial assembly has a housing one face of which is formed as a reflector 7 for a radiator 5, clamps 8, 10 and a pivot 12 being provided on one side of the housing for attaching the assembly to a mast 9 so as to allow positional adjustment about horizontal and vertical axes. The clamps may be provided on either side of the housing and are so arranged that two assemblies may be provided on the same mast at approximately the same level (Fig. 5, not shown).

Description

The invention relates to antenna arrangements.

In a radio-relay installation, the radio-relay equipment is usually either housed in an operations building which is separate from the antenna support, and the radio-relay signal is conveyed to the antenna by waveguides, or the radio-relay equipment is contained in an elevated operations room on the antenna mast. The line losses which result from the rather long waveguides used in the caqe of accommodation in an operations building which is detached from the antenna support have to be compensated for by use of a higher power output from the transmitter.

Because of the reduction in size and the increased reliability of radio-relay equipment which has evolved in the course of .progress housing of the equipment in simple, weather-protected equipment boxes can be regarded as sufficient in a small or medium-sized radio-relay station. This allows the equipment boxes to be placed in the immediate vicinity of the antenna, thus producing a number of technical advantages, in particular with higher radio frequencies which are becoming more and more important. A . relatively short aerial feeder may be used, thus minimising line losses. A radio-relay system having a relatively small power output can therefore be housed in a weather25 proof housing in the vicinity of the antenna. 'ν<β - 3 It is an object of the invention to provide an antenna arrangement for accommodating constructional units and equipment of radio-relay systems on a mast.

According to the inventior, there is provided an antenna arrangement comprising: a housing, a wall of which forms an antenna reflector; and a radiator fixed to said wall, a further wall of the housing being provided with securing means by which the housing can be secured to a mast in such a manner as to permit adjustment of the reflector orientation, about vertical and horizontal axes. Preferably, said securing means comprises a plate-like member pivotally mounted on said housing and two mutually spaced members suitable for receiving the mast and secured to said plate-like member. Preferably, said plate-like member is provided with through slots arranged along a circular ate whose centre of curvature is at the point of pivotal mounting. A wall of said housing may be provided with a reinforcing element. Said reinforcing element nay be a rail having a U-shaped cross-section. Preferably, there is provided a plurality of said rails of differing side arm length.

When provided, the or each reinforcing element is preferably disposed within said housing.

In one embodiment of the invention, two opposite walls of said housing are provided with said securing means. The antenna reflector max be provided with a protective radome. Preferably, a heating rod is arranged within said housing. Preferably, said housing is provided with external solar screening shields.

When said arrangement is secured to a mast by said securing means, preferably a support clamp which embraces the mast is arranged beneath sajd securing means. Expediently at least one electrical connection line enters said housing at its underside.

With the housing mounted on a mast, preferably the - 4 or each connefction line extends from said mast to said housing inside a flexible metal tube. Preferably, the or each connection line extends within said mast.

For a better understanding of the invention and 5 to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the drawings in which: Figure 1 Shows schematically a front view of a radio-relay antenna arrangement; Figure 2 shows schematically a top view of the arrangement of Figure 1; Figure 3 shows schematically a side view of the arrangement of Figure 1; Figurfc 4 shows schematically a further side view 15 of the arrangement of Figure 1; and Figure 5 shows schematically a further radio-relay antenna arrangement.

Figures. 1 to 4 show a housing 19 and a cover 20 which shuts the open side of the housing. One wall of , I housing 19 is shaped on the outside so that it forms a parabolic antenna reflector 7, other forms of reflector I being possible. Thus, the reflector 7 is integrated in the housing 19.

Inside housing 19, radio-relay equipment, i.e. a 25 transmitter 1 and a receiver 2 are arranged and are connected to a sequence of filters 4 via short transmission lines 3.. The filter sequence 4 is connected directly to an antenna radiator 5.The housing 19 is in the form of a self-supporting 30 frame in-order to absorb the wind forces. For this purpose, reinforcing elements are fitted to inside walls of the housing which elements consist in this embodiment of rails 6 having U-shaped cross section and differing side arm length. These are fastened to an inside wall of the housing by their central limbs and project into the casing interior with the side arms to embrace the space containing the transmitter 1 and receiver 2. Due to these constructional measures, the housing is relatively rigid and thus the required beam width of the antenna (halfpower width) is maintained, even at relatively high wind loading of the antenna.

Fastening of the housing to a steel mast 9 is carried out via a holder which is constructed in such a way that the housing can be rotated about horizontal and vertical axes for the purpose of antenna adjustment. The holder consists of a U-shaped support 8 having a plate-shaped mid-portion which can be screwed at its centre 12 to a side wall of the housing and two end members which are mutually spaced and embrace the aerial mast 9. To form a holder, each end member is connected by bolts with a respective clamp part 10. Thus the aerial mast 9 is clamped between each end member of support 8 and a respective clamp part 10. The plate-like mid-portion of support 8 is pivotally mounted at the centre 12, so that the twisting of the housing relative to the support is possible. For this purpose, slots 21 (Figure 4) are provided on a circular arc centered on centre 12 in the end regions of the platelike mid-portion of support 8, which has a generally Ishaped profile viewed in Figure 4, into which slots fastening elements 13, for example screws, engage. For adjustment about a horizontal axis, the housing is variable by an angle a corresponding to the length of the slots 21.

The centre 12, forming a bearing point and having e.g. a pin inserted in the side wall of the housing, can be fitted either on the left-hand or right-hand side of the housing, so that the housing can be fitted to the aerial mast 9 with either side adjacent the mast 9. This possibility of fastening from the left-hand side is indicated by - 6 a dot-dash representation of the aerial mast 9 and of the holder 8 in Figures 1 and 2. The support 8 can be provided on only one side or can be fitted on both sides to leave open the possibility of fitting either side of the housing to the mast.

A support clamp 11 is arranged on the aerial mast 9 beneath the support 8, ti.e. beneath one end member of the support 8) to prevent sliding down of the housing after loobenihg of the screws of the holder which loosen10 ing is necessary for rotational adjustment of the housing about a vertical axis.

The required electrical connection lines are led into the housing at the underside and are protected from mechanical damage and lightning strokes by a flexible metal tube 14. This metal tube is jointed to the aerial mast 9 by a sleeve 22 via which the lines which are led upwards inside the mast are led to the outside.

A hood (radome) 15 of synthetic resin material is provided to help prevent freezing up of the antenna, Heating rods 16 are provided inside the housing to keep the temperature of the interior above 0°C. To the outside surfaces of the housing, screening shields 17 are fitted ' and are in the form of metal plates, spaced from the housing walls, to prevent heating up of the interior in the event of intensive solar irradiation.

For various transmission directions, several housings may be fastened to the mast directly one above the other or side by side. If for each transmission direction more than four transmitters and four receivers are requi30 red, then a further housing is added via a rail and a flexible waveguide.

Figure 5 shows an arrangement where two housings are fastened to a mast 9 side by side in a common plane. Concerning th‘e construction, each housing and its fasten35 ing corresponds to the kind described above. Figure 5 4θ shows cledrly 'that the constructions of the housings together with the form of fastenirg to the housing sides enables, on the one hand, simple adjustment of housing orientation not only about a horizontal hut also about a vertical axis and, on the other, allows a plurality of housings to be arranged on the mast very closely together resulting in efficient utilisation of the fastening places on the mast. Compared with fhe hitherto conventional fastening provided at the rear of an equip10 ment housing the lateral fastening of the housing allows relatively simple adjustment because the housing is integrated with the antenna reflector, which ensures a particularly simple construction. Said adjustment of the housing is particularly important since the alignment of the antenna to the area to be irradiated results from the adjustment of the housing.

Claims (17)

CLAIMS:
1. .1. An antenna arrangement comprising: a housing, a wall of which forms an antenna reflector; and a radiator fixed to said wall, a further wall of the hous5 ing being provided with securinc means by which the housing can be secured to a mast in such manner as to permit adjustment of the reflector orientation about vertical and horizontal axes.
2. 2. An arrangement as claimed in Claim 1 wherein '10 said securing means comprises a plate-like member pivotally mounted on said housing and two mutually spaced members suitable for receiving the mast and secured to said plate-like member.
3. 3. An arrangement as claimed in Claim 2 wherein 15 said plate-like member is provided with through slots arranged along a circular arc whose centre of curvature is at the point of pivotal mounting.
4. 4. An arrangement as claimed in Claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein a wall of said housing is provided with a rein.20 forcing element.
5. 5. An arrangement as claimed ih Claim 4, wherein said reinforcing element is a rail having a 0-shaped cross-section.
6. 6. An arrangement as claimed in Claim 5 wherein 25 there is provided a plurality of said rails of differing side-arm length.
7. 7. An arrangement as claimed in Claim 4, 5 or 6 Wherein the or each reinforcing element is disposed within said housing. 30
8. 8. An arrangement as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 7, wherein two opposite walls of said housing are provided with said securing means. ' ! , . j -
9. 9. 9. An arrangement as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 8, wherein th£ antenna reflector is provided with a protective radome.
10. 10. An arrangement as claimed in any one of Claims 5 1 to 9, wherein a heating rod is arranged within said housing.
11. 11. An arrangement as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 10, wherein said housing is provided with external solar screening shields. 10
12. 12. An arrangement as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims when secured to a mast by said securing means.
13. 13. An arrangement as claimed in Claim 12 wherein a support clamp which embraces the mast is arranged 15 beneath said securing means.
14. 14. An arrangement as claimed in Claim 12 or 13 wherein at least one electrical connection line enters said housing at its underside.
15. 15. An arrangement as claimed in Claim 14, wherein 20 the or each connection line extends from said mast to said housing inside a flexible metal tube.
16. 16. An arrangement as claimed in Claim 14 or 15 wherein the or each connection line extends within said mast. 25
17. 17. An antenna arrangement substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 4 or to Figure 5 of the accompanying drawings. F.R. KELLY S COMPANY., AGENTS FOR THE APPLICANTS. SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT